MONDAY January 10
Comets - inauspicious omens
Comets have always been seen as inauspicious omens. The ancients associated them with disasters, fires, plagues, famines and earthquakes. Late last year, a new comet, Machholz, suddenly appeared. It entered the zodiac hours before the tsunami and is still visible now. I shall be watching for such phenomena even more carefully this year. I shall also be watching the American mission to launch a rocket, this Wednesday, at a comet called Tempel 1. The collision will occur months later... on July 4! Maybe today's new moon is making me feel unduly apprehensive... but I don't approve of this plan.

TUESDAY January 11
Sedna
Since our series, last week, about the newly-discovered planet, Sedna, many people have questioned the importance of the name. Would it have made a difference, they ask, if scientists had called the planet Charles or Camilla? It would, indeed. But what happened, happened. It can't be changed, Astrologers read a lot of meaning into immutable events. We are interested in the apparent reasons behind them but we are much more interested in the symbolism of the result. As I shall soon explain, the 'coincidence' of this new planet being named after such an evocative legend is mind blowing.

WEDNESDAY January 12
Deep Impact Rocket mission
At tea time tonight, a rocket will leave Florida on a 268 million mile, seven-month long journey. It is heading directly into the path of a comet, first discovered in 1867 by William Tempel. 'Tempel 1' is four miles wide and orbits the Sun every five and a half years. The rocket, codenamed Deep Impact will fire, at 23,000 mph, a missile the weight of an elephant and the size of a coffee table to create a hole in the comet as deep as a cathedral and as wide a football field. I think this is a thoroughly bad idea. I'll explain why, tomorrow.

THURSDAY January 13
Deep Impact Rocket mission - Part 2
American scientists have just fired a rocket at a comet. The collision will occur on July 4, a very deliberately chosen date. This heavenly firework show is supposed to make a crater no deeper than a hotel and no wider than a field. It is also 'not supposed' to change the comet's future orbit. But they really don't know any of this for sure. Until now, humans have simply explored and observed objects in space. Suddenly we have started to bomb them. I fear that such actions may disturb a surprisingly delicate cosmic balance.. and could have big consequences.

FRIDAY January 14
Saturn / Pluto alignment
A sharp alignment from Saturn to Pluto culminates next week. These two planets move slowly so the impact of their interaction tends to be felt over months rather than days. If you've been finding life exceptionally intense lately, this alignment is probably why. I have taken this factor into account while preparing the latest set of in depth telephone forecasts. Even if you don't want to ring for a more detailed explanation, you should at least be cognisant of the climate this weekend. No matter how exasperating things start to get, have faith and avoid the tempation to overreact!

SATURDAY January 15
Moon comment
The Moon will enter Taurus on Sunday at 12.06pm GMT. It moves into Gemini on Tuesday at 10.24pm GMT. Less than one hour later (at 11.22pm GMT) the Sun will move into Aquarius. The Moon enters Cancer on Friday at 10.42am GMT.